Shokan  Redemption
by iBroken
Summary: ItaSasu;; Reincarnation is often an abnormal process one could never consider happening to themselves. But when his car breaks down and he's stranded in a small village that believes a ninja village was nearby, Uchiha Sasuke's life changes entirely.
1. Chapter 1

**Redemption**

**By: **iBroken

**Anime: **Naruto

**Pairing: **ItaSasu

**Rating: **M

**Genre: **Romance/Hurt/Comfort

**Summary: **ItaSasu;; Reincarnation is often an abnormal process one could never consider happening to themselves. But when his car breaks down and he's stranded in a small village that believes a ninja village was nearby, Uchiha Sasuke's life changes entirely.

**Author Note: **This is a Two-Shot. I purposely created this to satisfy my urges for this kind of plot, without taking time away from my other ItaSasu story.

(break)

Champagne bottles were the first thing to fill the air; popping open as the family celebrated the grandeur occasion of their youngest son, Sasuke, being engaged to a woman of the parents choosing. It was a rare opportunity for Mikoto and Fugaku to indulge in celebration, while their son continued to sit beside that terrible woman in complete silence. It was the picture of a happy family; Mikoto holding Fugaku's arm and smiling, Fugaku clutching his own bottle of champagne and laughing cheerily at the way the fuzzed liquid spurted from the bottle. While Sasuke remained silent with a female gripping his arm tightly at grinning at him.

She was actually fairly pretty, with long pink hair, and daunting green eyes. Her body was vulptous, but nowhere near done growing, because this engagement was for at least six to seven years into the future. No ordinary person would marry at the age of sixteen. Sasuke was also very handsome, at least, in every persons eyes. He had the same black eyes his father had, black hair that was just as well taken care of, save for the abnormality of his hair being spiked towards the back in a modern-like fashion. He was everything an Uchiha child should be; gifted in every aspect from intelligence to physicality. He didn't lack anything outside of the initiative to do something for the family. This engagement had been quite a push for Sasuke to indulge in. He hadn't liked the idea at first, being almost too unhappy with the idea of being tied down to one of the women who obsessed over him, but Mikoto had eventually pushed him into it with her kind, parental behaviour.

With a glass of cherry crush in one hand, and the female's insistent fingers curled about his other, Sasuke only continued to stare forward without any real emotion plaguing his features. No, he was too busy thinking of something or another to placate his mind. Some sort of escape from this 'engagement' to Sakura. His only immediate thought was why there was a lacking of a certain longer, black haired man. Looking at his father immediately, he frowned and waited for Fugaku to catch onto what he was trying to silently communicate. When Fugaku threw him a confused glance, Sasuke sighed out. He didn't like speaking, especially not around the public, but if it meant getting an answer, he supposed he would, anyway.

"Where's Aniki-san?" he asked, finally. Fugaku's look gave him the answer he knew he would hear. Like always, Itachi had skipped out on this occasion, possibly for his own purposes, leaving Sasuke alone with this entire affair. Itachi was never at any of the family occasions. He enjoyed being alone. Sasuke loved Itachi's presence, it was one of the many things that made the younger Uchiha calm and happy, but he rarely got the attention. Itachi had the family company to run, and he always used that as an excuse to avoid speaking to anyone in the household on certain occasions. It was depressing, for Sasuke, at least, since he didn't particularly feel like going through with this engagement without someone he was happier around there.

Grunting, he sucked it up in time to see Sakura fawning over how he sounded. It was too annoying, yet he kept his eyes on her and only shook his head whenever he realized he was marrying a woman who wasn't even worth his time. He had never fallen in love, or felt anything for anyone, really. Arranged marriages might be the best for him given who he is. He never would pick out a woman, or even a man, of his own, and as always, he'd remain single like his older brother. This was probably the best method.

Fugaku finally stood up, and pointed towards Sasuke and Sakura with his champagne bottle. "A toast to my son, Uchiha Sasuke, and his to-be-wife, Haruno Sakura!"

The gathering erupted in echoes of cheer, but Sasuke merely kept his mind on his brother. Why was Itachi so neglectful of him?

(break)

As the driver continued to make the car go up this specific region of Japan, he didn't think anything of the unusual markings on the trees, or the possibly strange flow of sand that occasionally drifted past the car window. The dirt road here was terrible, but this was the only way to get to Sakura's place of residency with her parents. He didn't want to go, but his father said it would be good for him to spend his break with Sakura and the Haruno family. He continued to listen to the simple music of the Beatles playing in the car, the song Yesterday drifting into his ears and out as each moment passed by.

He wasn't a fan of music, but he knew the driver, Iruka, was. Iruka and his son, Naruto, often came to parties and the liking. Sasuke often picked on Naruto, and they got into violent fights when he was younger, but it all ended recently since Naruto felt he had some sort of more than friendly feelings for Sakura, Sasuke's now fiancée. It wasn't as if Sasuke liked her, but his parents had made him get engaged. Naruto had, in turn, found another woman who appeared to be as dark and gloomy as Sasuke and began dating her. It didn't disturb Sasuke that he and Naruto no longer spoke, but made him wonder why their fickle friendship had ended on account of one female. It wasn't as if he had decided to purposely go with Sakura the moment Naruto decided he loved her. He had forced himself to go through with all of that. He would never enjoy it, because in his heart, he knew he had never been capable of falling in love.

The car jerked to a sudden halt, and Sasuke had to refrain from hitting the back of the seat. "What happened, Iruka?" he asked. The driver immediately shrugged and opened the door of the car, going towards the front to check the engine and the liking. Sasuke stayed perfectly seated, not knowing what else he could do to help. He had never taken up fixing car engines in his entire life. All he really knew was that the car never should have stopped in the first place. The first thing he noticed was steam from the front of the car, and then the front was slammed shut. Iruka beckoned him to come outside, and he followed, opening the door and stepping out. "Well?" he asked once he was near Iruka.

"The engine broke down. I can't even get it to start up," Iruka said. It was odd that the engine had broken down, conveniently, just in the middle of nowhere. Sasuke had expected to be at Sakura's place sometime this morning, but he apparently couldn't just end up there. He had to go through the struggle of this entire engine breakdown as well. With a grunt of annoyance, he stared at the blown engine. Something inside of him just felt foul; like he wasn't completely safe. Like this was meant to happen in some sick, twisted way. He had never felt this apprehensive before. Especially since usually, he had his older brother around him on trips like this. It was convenient that Itachi chose to skip out the one time he was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Finally, Iruka turned to him and shook his head. "I'm sure there's a village around here. Stay the night there, and I'll send a taxi over in the morning," he finally answered. "I have to push this car all the way to the next town or something." Sasuke hadn't liked the idea from the start; why did she have to live in the next town? He didn't even like her, and yet he was going through with this so his family would be happy. "It's fine. I'll push with you—" he began, but Iruka cut him off by raising his hand. "I'm sorry, Sir. But I have to kindly decline," he answered. "I can push myself. You should go rest." There was a tone that said he should listen. Sometimes, Iruka treated Sasuke like his own son. It was habitual since he had been taking care of Sasuke for a large portion of Sasuke's life. He was one of few people who knew Sasuke and his brother were once close, and one of few people who knew that Sasuke and Itachi rarely spoke now.

With a nod of his head, he turned and began walking down a dirty path he had spotted. It was probably leading to an agricultural village. This area was sparce of occupancy. He had studied this entire area not long ago, learning that it was previously undiscovered. It was an entire bit of land separated from Japan. Recently, a coastal bridge had been built. This land connected Japan to South Korea, where Sakura's family lived. It was an incredible discovery for the world, but the residents already there seemed to dislike colonization. In the end, it remained a bridge to Korea, and nothing more. Sasuke had been this way a few times with Itachi, once with his father, but he had never thought that he'd be stuck here. Would the natives here mind his presence?

He had money on him, of course. Maybe if he paid them off, they would take his appearance more lightly. As he continued to walk. He couldn't help but take in the smell of leaves. It was familiar, but the trees around here were sickly and dead. His senses felt oddly alert, but he had no idea why. His head was buzzing with questions about why everything he saw right now felt strangely… familiar. His pace continued, almost steadily, until he could spot some sort of village up ahead. It seemed small, with homes that were nothing like the towering buildings he had become accommodated to. There was peace surrounding the village, but there seemed to be something lacking. He almost couldn't put a finger on it. His black eyes narrowed when he noticed a few village children glancing his way, frightened looks on their features. Although he had no idea why it annoyed him, it always did when people looked at him and pointed out who he was. The great Uchiha Sasuke, son to Uchiha Fugaku, brother of Uchiha Itachi; no one saw Sasuke in specific. He was full of his lineage. His brother had been the only person who saw Sasuke first, and although that childish waste had ended, he'd soon have more than that to look after. Sakura would have Uchiha on her name, too. He hated the idea, but she seemed to like it, to want it.

With another sigh he soon stood only three or four feet from the children, expecting them to chorus about his parents or his brother. Instead, one of the children shrieked. There were at least three of children seemed thoroughly scared of him, and it astonished him. _Maybe it's just that I'm dressed oddly compared to them… they might never have seen a collared shirt and dress pants. _But no, they stared at his eyes, his face, in shock. He was what scared them; he himself. "Okaa-san! It's the traitor! Run before he kills us!" the girl of the three screamed. There were tears streaming down her face, and she seemed extremely frightened. The two boys were nearly in similar state with fear of Sasuke's current appearance. What had he done to scare them this much? Sasuke frowned and took a step forward, holding out his hand. "I'm not a traitor. My name is Sa—" he began. One of the other boys let out a shriek. "H-he's trying to use the eyes on us!" he shouted. Without further notice, the little girl's hand was grabbed, and all three of them scurried into a house, away from his sight.

Sasuke stood still, staring where they had been, with absolutely no idea what was going on. He hadn't done anything yet, especially nothing to make them afraid of him. That hadn't ever happened to him before, since usually, he was a fairly normal person. A few girls here and there might scream for other more stupid reasons whenever he might be somewhere, but his reception was never this frightening. He lowered his hand to his side and took a few more steps forward. It seemed fairly empty, aside of the smell of more leaves. The buildings were badly damaged here. There was nothing special, about this village, except that it looked like it barely survived. There was no government around these parents, and the people who did reside her seemed more intent on living life their own way anyway. The homes were all old-fashioned Japanese ones, probably lacking electricity as well. He doubted there was anything special about this place at all. How would he get living quarters in a place like this? He frowned, his eyes narrowing, and looked around for a villager. Those kids had to have parents or something… right?

"Bad karma, or maybe we're just that fortunate for a bad memory to return."

He turned himself around to face whoever was behind him, in a flash. He had no idea who it was, but the old woman seemed rather upset. Her eyes were a startling shade of green, but her hair was lanky and white. With a cane in one hand, and her hair tied in two pigtails towards her shoulders, she seemed rather, decent in appearance. Her stance was slouched, but something about her radiated that she wasn't ordinary. She could do something that even Sasuke would never predict, and possibly be able to stand against. "My car broke down, just outside of this village's boundaries and I need—" he was began. The woman only let out a shrill laugh, the noise filling his ears. The sound resembled some sort of cackle, reminding him of the witches he saw in movies as a child. He hated witches, along with women. He didn't honestly like many people. "Admit it, you came to finish what you started, snake heir," she accused.

Thorough confusion was all Sasuke could manage. He wasn't a snake heir. In fact, none of it made sense. He'd never been here before. Fingers tightening into a fist, he continued to stare the woman down with a lack of emotion, not trying to care that he was being accused of being a snake heir. "I'm not a snake heir. I'm inheriting a large company, I'm sure you know it," he tried to reason. But the woman only seemed more upset by his words. It was as if she was mistaking him for someone else entirely. He concluded, at least in his mind, that these people had never heard of the Uchiha Company. That they lived in an invisible world where there was no need for outside interferences. It sounded reasonable, and he could guess she was probably insane, thinking him to be someone else. The lady continued staring at him, the tension almost edible. He only looked back, rebellious and undignified as always.

"You do have the same hate.. the same rage as before. But you have no memories," the woman finally concluded. _As before? How could I? I've never even met you. _"You are not yet him. But you will be, soon." Another few moments passed by, in which Sasuke tried to figure out the meaning behind those words. Hate? He did, he hated his family. For making him become some sort of unneeded compartment to his older brother, who had all of the attention. He had rage against everything they did. But how could this woman know? To her, his family was perfect as always. There was nothing wrong with it. She didn't even know her family. He didn't understand why she was thinking he was someone else. He never would be. It made no sense. "I told you, I'm not him," he said again. "I don't understand what you're going on about. I just need a place to stay for one night." He would have continued, but the woman reached out and clamped her body hand around his wrist, pulling him towards one of the houses. "Fine then, come along. I will show you," she concluded.

(break)

The hut he was lead inside was extremely quiet. The sound of the wind blowing outside was well defined. It held only one other person, who stood by the door and moved aside for the old woman. But Sasuke received a curt glare, along with a step back that was defined of fear. He didn't understand a word of it, since he knew he wasn't even close to being part of anything going on here. He only followed the old woman to the front of the room. Where some sort of book was placed. It looked incredibly old, but it had an oddly normal looking cover. Black, with pages inside. It must have been dated from many years back. Although he stayed quiet, the old woman reached out and took hold of the book in her hands, her eyes staring down at it with something close to fondness.

"My ancestor, left this book behind, from her time," the old woman answered, at last. "It is from when there was a civilization in this land. When there was a future for these people." He listened quietly, thinking maybe she really was just insane. Maybe if he followed along, she would let him go home and sleep. Maybe this was all just a horrible nightmare, and he had fallen asleep sometime during the car drive. He just hoped it would end soon, he was wasting too much time here. He had to get to Sakura, if only because it was part of his duty. "In this book… we have the history of the ninja civilization, of Hinotochi. The last great civilization," the woman continued. Her words became more and more ridiculous. The woman finally turned back around and cautiously looked up at him. Everyone seemed almost afraid of meeting his eyes. They didn't want to look up at him. "Shizumu, take the book, and drop him off at _that_ place. Nearby it," the woman finally answered. "If he reads the book, so be it. If he chooses to go inside first, so be it. But either way, he must be left there. If he truly does find it, he will find a way back here."

He didn't agree to this. Turning to the man who was approaching him, Sasuke glared. He wouldn't do this. He wasn't going to be dropped off, god knows where, by some man who barely knew him. But he didn't seem to have a choice, as the mans fist collided with his stomach, and everything went dark.

"_Should you find your way, snake heir, perhaps you will be saved from the same fate."_

(break)

"Nnh…"

He opened his eyes and looked up. At first, all he could see were dead, burned trees looking down at him. There were many trees, all surrounding him and making him feel sort of insignificant. But that wasn't what concerned him, really. It was the fact that there was no one else here, and that he had no idea where he was. His stomach felt light, almost painful, really. His left hand clutched some sort of object, the other held another object. He had no idea what had happened, aside of the fact that he had been ditched, god knows where, by some old woman. That village had been some sort of terrible idea. He would have been better off staying near Iruka. _Dammit… What do I do now?_

He sat up, looking at his hands carefully. The book was in one hand, wrapped there tightly. He didn't care to read it, not when he was lost and had no idea where they had sent him off to. The other held some sort of weapon. It was somewhat heavy, and looked metallic. He remembered these in his books as a child; kunai, he remembered them being called. With a sigh, he put both into his pockets and stood up. Wherever he was, it was surrounded by more trees than he had seen in his entire life. It seemed like he was in a forest of sorts; but one that had been wreakaged long long ago. He moved forward, wanting to get to some other village where, hopefully, he could find a phone and just get out of here. He hated relying on others, especially since that last incident had proved he shouldn't have been around that woman to begin with.

As he walked, some part of his stomach began to sink. Like he was going somewhere he shouldn't be. He couldn't explain it, especially since his mind was reeling. All he could think of was just how horribly wrong all of this felt. Like he should turn around right now and go the opposite way. It hadn't happened to him before, this feeling of nausea. The more he walked, the heavier his load became. His feet felt almost tied down, to keep him from walking forward. His hands seemed to fist, as he struggled to continue walking. Not only that, but his eyes hurt. His eyes felt as if they were bleeding from some sort of invisible strain he was encompassing. He lifted his hand, pressing his palm to his right eye in vain, to possibly stop the pain. But he felt like it wouldn't. It just hurt.

He wasn't sure where he was going, or even why. All he knew was that he was walking forward, aimlessly, permanently. He couldn't keep this up, because when he could see a huge pair of wooden gate doors, broken down, he himself collapsed, his head striking the ground at once and knocking him unconscious. Like he had never been capable of standing up in the first place.

(break)

He opened his eyes again, however, this time, he didn't see any sort of sky. He saw the roof of a ceiling. It was a white room, with a strange, primitive Japanese top. Lips in a frown, he looked ahead only to see an unfamiliar man. He seemed to be writing on a chalkboard. Was he in class? Was this a substitute teacher? It made no sense. There were other students there, but when he examined closely, he noticed they were just _children_. All little boys and girls, writing notes about something or another that the instructor was talking about. He could only see that he was either in the wrong classroom, or something horrible strange had happened.

The chalkboard displayed writing in Japanese, but what it said was astounding. It had pictures of ninja tools such as kunai on it. It had things like genjutsu, or ninjutsu written there as well. None of it made sense, since he had never seen this being taught in a normal school. They were learning how to be Ninja, it seemed. He couldn't believe it, especially since this was abnormal. Children shouldn't be learning to run around throwing ninja stars at people; they should be working to a mature, adult-like future. He lifted his hand to have that usual reaction of calling for an instructors attention, to signify that he was in the wrong class, the wrong grade level. Maybe he was in a horrible dream. But the moment he raised his hand, he noticed how much smaller his hand was in general. He had bigger hands; he was a teenager after all. But no, his palm was too small. He continued to look down at his hand and immediately noticed it then.

He was in a younger body.

Standing up, he stared over at the teacher, who at once had his attention. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" the man asked. He continued to glare at the teacher, not wanting to be here at all. "What is this? What's… what's happened to me?" he questioned. Like he expected, his voice was a lot younger, too. He was, clearly, not in his body. But the teacher somehow knew him. The entire class turned around to look at him, expecting an explanation for his unusual actions. But there was no explanation. He had just spoken up out of shock, to realize that he was a child, in a class of ninja students. What sort of reality is this? "Class is finished now, children. Please head home safely, and practice your kunai throwing with your family members if you can," the teacher finished. When he put the chalk down, all of the children rushed out, leaving Sasuke to stand deadly still, staring at the teacher in surprise.

This was, unbelievable. The teacher, however, pointed out the door with a smile, as if ushering him to go. "Go on home. I'm sure Fugaku and Mikoto are worried," the man assured him. At the mention of his parents' names, Sasuke was utterly relieved. Two people he recognized were here. Maybe they'd know what's going on; or at least be in the same situation as him, relatively similar. He began running out, finding the bag clinging to his body to be somewhat annoying. Inside of it, he could hear metal, the oddly familiar sound making him weary. What was going on anyway? Where was he going? How did he know he was going somewhere that was correct for him. His feet padded along the ground as he rushed somewhere. He looked up while running, of course. He was in some sort of a village. It had buildings. Old fashioned ones, but they looked magnificent. The moonlight shining down on them was brilliant, magnifying everything. In the distance, he could see some sort of mountain with heads carved into it. Everything here seemed larger than life, but he didn't care.

He had to go 'home'. Feet carrying him faster, he eventually saw in the distance a path of trees leading away from this village main setting and more towards some sort of decimated compound. He didn't know why he was going this way, either. Just that he had to; he wanted to. He could hear, faintly, a female voice or two calling out, but he ignored it. Maybe his mother and father would know what to do to get back to himself. Wherever he was right now, he wasn't in the right place. As if he felt like he was getting closer, he sped up, as much as this small body would let him. But the closer he approached, the more he noticed it. That things were becoming darker, gloomier. He could see the beginning of a few buildings, but what really caught him off guard was the stench of death. The smell of blood and dead corpses.

_Dead… dead people?_

It was undeniable that he could smell it. It was just overwhelming the amount of dead people that were smelt in the air. While running now, his foot collided with something. Looking down, he couldn't help the shocked look he gave off, or the stilling of his body. His foot had touched a hand… a hand that had been cut off from it's body. Now that he looked around, there were several dead corpses here and there, all of them bearing one similar symbol on their body.

_My… My family's symbol. The Uchiha Symbol…_

He felt his knees shake, especially when he noticed that it was the ending. That… there were dead people, probably 'his' relatives, laying around. It made him scared, suddenly. What if his mother and father were there? What if this had happened to them? He suddenly felt younger, felt extremely uncertain of what was going on. Like he was just a child again. He began running again, moving away from whatever dead bodies he could find touching him. All he knew was that he was afraid, that he was scared senseless of what would happen to his mother and his father. He stopped when he noticed some large house, the main house of his compound, he assumed. It was closed, since the shed-like covering was shut. He stopped before it, pressing one hand to it in case he was afraid of opening it. Did… he want to? Did he want to find out what was behind this mass murder? The smell of death was making him nauseous. He wanted to go away. But at the same time, what if someone like his family had been killed? His immediate family meant the world to him.

He opened the door then, and took a step in, expecting something of Fugaku and Mikoto to pop up at him. He wasn't used to this, not in his normal life. A marriage had been the most critical, uncertain step he had ever taken. But the moment he stepped in, his eyes widened, and his hands shook. His parents were there… but they were…

All he could see was Mikoto's head, laying a few feet from her body, her arm severed. Fugaku was beside her, his eyes wide, and his limbs each shuffled into subsided, differed shapes. They had been _massacred_, each and every one of his relatives had been killed, all in one night. His family was… was dead!

The sound of sudden was footsteps. Each resounding and slowly making way towards him. It was too dark to tell who it was, the lack of lighting was easy to depict that, but Sasuke knew the presence. Hell, he knew he knew it; the smell was familiar, and every part of him screamed that it was someone he treasured beyond his mother and father, beyond himself. He just felt it was familiar, in every pore of his body. And it made him want to back away, because he felt deadly intent. He took one step back, bringing his hands up to his chest. The person stepped out of the shadow, and he could finally recognize them. The long black hair, that had been tied back in a ponytail. The familiar lines on the front of the persons face, showing slight birth marks and the addition of stress. The way the person was always taller, always better, always more capable than Sasuke himself. It was all familiar, every single bit of it, especially the black, tired eyes looking down at him.

"I-Itachi-aniki?"

Itachi continued to look at him, his features always expressionless. There was nothing there. No indication that he even cared for Sasuke's presence. It was like normal, except Sasuke was afraid this time. He didn't know if he could control his own reactions, and Itachi's own. They continued to stare at one another in silence, until Itachi closed his eyes. Sasuke knew now he had to run before it was too late. Itachi had lost his mind. However, those eyes opened, and he saw red. Pure, gleaming red, staring back at him. The eyes that spoke of terror, made him want to turn away, but he was frozen, and in less than a minute, he was sucked into an endless, internal repetition of whatever had happened here.

Of each moment his clan had been killed.

All he could see was blood, death, people dying here and there. His uncle and aunt had been decapitated before his very eyes, falling to the ground like lifeless dummies. His own mother and father were murdered, and he could see all of it because of whatever Itachi had done. _Itachi_ had done all of it! It was his fault! His heartbeat continued to speed up, and he reached up, grabbing at his head and screaming. "Aniki! Stop it! Stop showing me this!" he screamed out, into nothing. But alas, he could still hear the sounds, still see the massacre in his mind. It all eventually stopped, and he could only fall to his knees, still clutching his head in bare, fearful agony. Itachi had killed his family… his entire clan. His own brother, his flesh and blood, had killed all that remained of his life!

He sobbed quietly, feeling every bit of himself drain out, into the ground and away from his sight. He had lost everything to the one person he had considered his older brother; his closest family member. The one person he always looked up to and adored. He kept his head down, until finally the strength to stand returned to him. Pushing his body to stand slowly, he began walking out of the door, leaving his dead parents bodies as is, because he had to get out, had to find someone who could get Itachi. This was his fault! His limbs ached, and he could only continue to open the strange door and walk outside, dragging his body along almost dead-like. He felt dead. He had lost everything, in one moment. He no longer had a brother… no longer had a mother, a father. It was all Itachi's doing, for something he selfishly wanted.

However, he froze at seeing Itachi standing there, all calm. He stopped, and looked up at him, expecting some form of an answer as to why he did it. What he could possibly gain from doing something as horrendous as killing his family. But when no answer came, he let out a growl and slammed his fist into the wall. Why was this happening? Itachi, however, kept looking at him. Monotonous. Not even caring what he had one had possibly left the biggest scar on Sasuke's life that was humanly possible. "Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me. And yet survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life, and when you have the same eyes as mine, come to me," his brother spoke, almost sounding robotic with his statement. _Hate him? Hate the person I've wanted to be since I was little? You… You murdered our family! Of course I hate you!_

Itachi turned away, and he was about to go after him, to kill him with whatever power he could muster, but the moment Itachi looked back, and he made mistake of looking into Itachi's eyes, his world went black. He slowly felt his body drop to the ground, and everything, went away.

(break)

He reopened his eyes to find himself laying face down in the brown dirt he had been in within that burned up forest. Pushing himself to stand, he found his limbs re-enlarged, like they should be. He was wearing his usual clothing again, and he wasn't a tiny child. There was no blood stains anywhere. In fact, he was safest, right now. He looked down at the ground, at his feet, his hands… whatever he could, and though to himself, how he could be here when that had felt so real. When seeing his brother murder his family, had seemed so real. He had thought it was actually happening, even felt like it was true. Like it had happened now. Like it was historical.

He still felt weary, especially since Itachi had been in it. His older brother, who had been ignoring him as of recent, had been in a dream where Itachi had killed their family. Why? Why did he see something so horrible? He kept his head ducked down, trying to keep from crying or something of the sort, but he could only look ahead at the broken doors of the place before him. Maybe if he, went inside, someone could be in there. From the smell of the air, and from the lack of sound, the large place he could see up ahead was long abandoned. No one would be inside. He knew already how ridiculous this was, going into a completely foreign bit of territory, and for what? To find a way home? He never should have agreed to go along with this idea to visit Sakura. He should have just stayed home, or maybe gone to visit Itachi, to make sure this insane vision he had of Itachi being a murderer in a ninja village was false. It couldn't happen in the modern world… right?

But there was more to how he felt. Inside his chest, he felt a guilt he couldn't repress. Like somehow, something was his fault. Like everything he saw before him had been contaminated by his own faults. He couldn't put a finger on it, and he didn't particularly want to. Stopping at the gates, one tumbled down so he'd have to climb over it, he gripped the side and slowly climbed onto the gate, beginning to walk up to look inside of whatever this massive village was. Black eyes caste onward, he had to freeze when he looked ahead, at what he could see.

It was the village from that vision. In the distance, he could see similar buildings. He could see that mountain that had those heads carved onto it. He could see things that he felt were familiar to him, inside.

But they were destroyed. It looked like war had scotched them all.

_What… is going on with me?_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

To say he was flabbergast, would have been a complete understatement. Never in his life had Sasuke seen the ruins of a village, especially one so huge. There was masses of roofing and stone laying around, scattered in every possible direction. The smell of burned wind and leaves were easy to overcome what Sasuke assumed was normally the fresh smell of winds in the air normally. The village was probably as big as an actual city- maybe as big as Tokyo itself. While the village was clearly in ruins, it was still easy, for some reason, for Sasuke to discern where he was. It felt like a primal instinct, like he had been here, in the past. It made him wonder what had happened to himself. He felt awed. This village was perhaps the most primitive, unlikely place to exist on the entire planet, yet here it was. Those people had left him here- but for what? Glancing down at his feet, he recalled being given a set of kunai and that strange black book. It made no sense. Why did that woman trust him with something passed on from their ancestors? Why was a crazy old woman who believed in ancient ninja civilizations even trying to speak to a corporates son? It made no sense, and Sasuke certainly didn't want to be here. If only that car hadn't broken down. It felt like sick karma trying to get him to obey it.

"Whatever," he spoke, letting his usually expressionless frown stretch over his features. "I'll look around. I might get lucky." It was such a longshot. Most likely, he would continue looking around, aimlessly, for several hours, and then collapse of dehydration. His luck was just that horrid today. Shifting, he attempted to walk forward, carefully, down the set of doors, without harming himself. This was going to be difficult. That became increasingly apparent when he felt his leg slid. Although he let out a small sound of surprise, he shifted his free hand down onto the door to skid down properly. Another unusual, primal instinct. When he safely approached the ground, he let himself tumble forward onto the dirt ground, his body landing there, on his face, nonetheless. With his head turned to the side, ear pressed into the dirt, he stayed deathly still- more to check if he was hurt in any way. There was no immediate pain. He was relieved, that he hadn't been hurt. But he found a slight throbbing in his head. It was, like there was something beating him inside his head. His eyes steadily closed, and at the foot of the entrance to this vast, destroyed village..

Uchiha Sasuke, blacked out.

(break)

He opened one eye.

Oddly enough, he wasn't laying on the floor, this time. Instead, he had his back pressed against some sort of wall. The wall was hard. While his eye was open, he could only see the black of being unconscious before him. It was like he'd had the wind knocked out of him, by something. Eventually, however, everything became more clear, and he found that he was _pinned_ to a wall by something. It was more than just that- there was the feeling of someone near him. While his eyes weren't open, it didn't take visual sight to let him know who. The smell was the same- the feeling was the exact same. Even if he was dreaming, the person still stayed the same. He knew his Aniki-san without even having to see him. Itachi was one of few things that had retained permanence in Sasuke. Glancing up, directly, at deathly red eyes, Sasuke swallowed. He didn't know what was going on. But the creases between Itachi's eyebrows, and the way the stretch marks from wrinkles on his face continued to tense, only revealed Itachi was feigning anger, with him. He knew Itachi's moods. He knew what his brother was like, even when he wasn't the same. Itachi was here, for something else.

"You are still, too weak," Itachi mumbled, in that same, cold voice. It was all familiar, but Sasuke glanced at his surroundings first. For some reason, he knew he was in that dream-like state again. Except this time, his body felt slightly older. He had more control over his limbs. But given Itachi was six years older, he was still stronger. Not only that, but the frightening red shade in his brother's eyes.. made Sasuke see just how futile it was for him to struggle. And yet, he continued, he glared back up at his brother in defiance he had not known before. He glared and tried to shift away, push him away. He ignored the words, even as they pushed him to be angry. He was not going to allow Itachi to push him around- not after he had abandoned him for so long. "I won't.. I won't give in to you!" he grunted back, hands tightening into a fist, even as Itachi continued to peer down at him. It was his surprise when Itachi shifted, so his body covered any view that Sasuke had, of whoever else was there. Instead, his mind was entirely focused on Itachi, who suddenly leaned in closer towards Sasuke. Sasuke could feel his breath, on his ear. He could hear Itachi breathing, but his breath was soft. It was Sasuke who was breathing deeply. He was sure he would be killed. "You shouldn't have come," Itachi breathed, almost unphased, by Sasuke. It made Sasuke angrier. He could do what he wanted. But he didn't get the chance.

Itachi drew his head back, and his eyes- the colour began to melt into some sort of frightening looking one. Sasuke drew in his breath, and tried to glance away. But it was too late. He was already entranced by Itachi- the eyes had captured him. And then, what happened, made Sasuke's gut wrench. All he could feel was a sudden amount of pain bursting through his body, and his world transforming into something else—an entirely different plethora of pain came around him, all caused by his beloved aniki-san.

(break)

Opening his eyes, he found himself with his face still against the dirt ground. But unlike before, he felt hurt. Not physically, but internally. The words he had heard that dream Itachi speak made him scared. Scared that he didn't even know his own brother. Shifting until his palms were flat on the ground beside him, he eventually sat up with help from his elbows pushing him up. He stared out towards the village, noticing there were paths. A wagon had been abandoned nearby, broken from the front wheels. It looked like no one had been here in many years. But what was most peculiar, was that he thought he knew where to go- how to go. He hadn't been here, so it made no sense. All he knew was that those unusual dreams he kept having, were in this village. Whether or not there was life here before, still confused him. He just had a sinking feeling that he knew where he was, at least, inside. Standing up, he eventually brushed his clothing off-a habit, it seemed- and then began walking towards the inside of the village. His feet dipped into the dirt, and all he could tell was that it felt wrong. It felt like he was stepping in a graveyard. This was abnormal for Sasuke, who didn't care for very much. But now that he really thought it over, he didn't really know who lived here. If he told the police that some crazy woman from that village left him here, she could be arrested. All he would need was a moment- just one moment, to completely make sure that crazy woman didn't repeat this with another unsuspecting traveller.

"_What did.. did we ever.. do to you?"_

The voice startled him. He refrained from jumping up, and instead took in a sharp breath. Standing still, he found himself even more frightened by the sign before him. It was huge. But what was more startling was that it was the sign of a giant kunai- faded away. It was a ninja kunai. As children, Sasuke and Itachi would often pretend to be ninja. It was one of Sasuke's favourite games, at the time. But looking at the kunai now, he felt like it was something else. Like it warned him. The voice had been so realistic. It sounded like it had been right there. Like he hadn't imagined it. But how could it have been real? No one was here. No one, save for himself. While he continued walking, he could almost hear groaning from all around him. It was like the ground was littered with dead people, calling out to him. All of the noises, drove him insane. It had to be when he had fallen- or maybe he was still dreaming.

Nothing added up to the various voices crying out to him.

Letting either of his hands clutch at his head, he closed his eyes and painfully staggered forward.

"_Why, Sasuke? Why did you kill Akamaru.."_

He would have screamed out, but instead, he managed to walk towards a wall, the one with the kunai on it, and slid down until he had his back pressed against the wall, and his head against the wall. While the voices continued, some standing out more than others, he tried to block them out. Tried desperately to ignore them. But in the end, he could hear some calling out. They spoke his name. They all were accusing him of killing them. It was ridiculous. It made no sense. He lifted his knees to his chest and lowered his head until he could press his forehead to his knees. For once in a long time, he felt defenseless. Not only was he alone, but these dreams were assaulting his relationship with Itachi. An already weak relationship. He was far away from where he should be, and he had no one to phone, no one to walk with him. He was used to being alone.. but not this far gone.

_I miss.. Itachi._

This was, perhaps, the first time he had admitted this. To others, he came off so, unemotional. But now that he had admitted it, it began to sink in. Sasuke missed Itachi. His older brother had been his source of comfort. He always wanted to be Itachi. But knowing that his brother was so far out of his reach, hurt him. Inside, he felt like that dream, was the real him. Like he had been literally, a part of this world. It was.. frightening. It was so real. Sasuke was questioning his reality.

Feeling a tear drip from his cheek, onto his knee, he remained deathly quiet, as the voices continued to surround him, each voice whispering more and more frightful words to him.

"_All.. we wanted, was for _him_ to be our hokage.. why.."_

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted out. But no avail. When he spoke up, the voices stopped. But the air around him reeked of fear. He could somehow feel it- these voices, these people.. they knew him. He knew them. It was as if one bond connected them. And perhaps, the bond was something morbid. Like he had done something to harm them. He could hear the agony in those voices, and he could hear the immense hatred, too. Clearly, he was at fault. That old woman, had sent him here, to do something. To make him see something. But he just didn't see it. He had nothing to do with this. He was born away from here. So then why on earth did it feel like the people here- those who had probably passed away years ago-hated him?

"_Sasuke."_

He immediately heard a familiar voice. Lifting his head, he looked around. It was Naruto's voice, albeit, a bit older, but Naruto's voice nonetheless. It sounded just like him. But Naruto wasn't here. Why was he imagining things? Was he that desperate for someone else to reach him. _"Go to the Hokage Heads."_

The voice was just as clear as before, but now he noticed, that it was coming from his mind. It was like the other agonized voices. He stood himself and began walking, aimlessly, to where he thought the voice was directing him. While he walked, he noticed more and more bits of the village, building up around him. There were shops, broken, destroyed, and left in ruins by time. It was evident that the village had been burned. While he continued to walk by, he could see things. It didn't feel normal. But he could see the buildings burning. While walking, he almost thought he saw a burning child run by, screaming like someone had murdered them. All the while, sounds of voices, of people, trying to escape their death was everywhere. It seemed like he had gone insane. Maybe the ghost of this village- ghosts-had decided to haunt him because he was alive. But nothing warranted for what he was seeing, especially when some sort of person, slowly, walked infront of him. He froze on spot, and stared ahead with a heavy heart. Who was it?

The pink hair was nothing that he knew of. The droopy, pale hands, and the delicate condition of the wrists were an indication that it was a female. But the thing that really threw him off was the familiar way that the female's hair swept just above her shoulders-pin straight. It was his fiancée.

But he didn't move. He didn't show any emotion. He just watched her turn around, to stare at him with deathly pale eyes. She was clearly dead. There was a wound pressed to her chest, one caused by some sort of.. blade perhaps? The incisions around it indicated lightning had been near it. What kind of person had done this to her? Internally, Sasuke was sort of.. glad she was not a part of his life. He had, always, for some reason, felt something bad, about it. But the way she stared at him. It seemed like he was guilty for her death. "Sasuke," she mumbled, eyes still trained on him. He took a step back, she took one forward. ".. I.. Naru.. to," she spoke. Her mouth moved, but he heard it in his mind. The person before him, was not alive. She was long dead. It was scary. Sasuke hadn't seen ghosts, didn't believe in them. Why was he seeing one now. "I won't.. I won't let you.. do this again. You.. You came back for more," she continued to speak. She took another step towards him, but this time, he couldn't move. It felt like he was frozen in place.

She was going to kill him.

"Stop it! I'm.. I'm not this Sasuke you're talking about! My name is Uchiha Sasuke! I-I'm the son of Uchiha Fugaku! Leave me alone!" he shouted, and the panic in his voice was only too clear. But it didn't stop the ghostly woman before him. She continued to walk to him, and the wounds on her body became more visible. Each step made a part of her body more visible. From the abdomen, the flesh and clothing she wore began to melt away, revealing bones and the insides of her body-plushed gray, and burned inside out. She had probably been burned- burned by the thunder that had hit her, and then left to die. She had most likely died from the abdominal injuries and blood loss. But more than that, he could see that her face was entirely distorted. A boot had stepped on her face-maybe something heavier, and her bones were appearing on some parts of her skin. Whatever had happened to her, had entirely ruined her appearance. She reached out with one bony hand and grabbed his shoulder, immediately reaching out with her other hand for his face.

He immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his kunai. Lifting it, he aimed for her face and slashed it forward, letting the kunai dig into her skin. It was two seconds. It was completely, instant. He felt something, urge him to move his fingers simultaneously. He did, creating what he thought were strange figures with his hand. _"Lift it to your mouth, and hold it there." _Naruto's voice urged him, and he did. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, holding his index finger and thumb in a curled, o'shape. Blowing into it, he was shocked when it felt like flames escaped his mouth. He thought he saw flames! She let go of him and reached up, almost as if she was putting out a fire on her face. But it didn't take long, before the ghostly figure glared at him.

"You're not doing this to us again!"

He was going to step back, but this time, she reached out.

Her hand was near his face, and everything, went dark.

(break)

He opened one eye, and noticed he was in some sort of building. Faintly, on his forehead, he could feel blood. It felt like.. a poke. Itachi enjoyed poking him. When they were younger, he would do that whenever he claimed he didn't have enough time for Sasuke. It made Sasuke, upset, as a child. He would beg Itachi to spare some time for him. But ever since, around when Itachi turned twelve, he stopped spending time with Sasuke. It left a crater of a hole in Sasuke's life. He had never been able to get over Itachi ignoring him. He had loved his brother- the most. Even now, Sasuke, who didn't admit to loving his parents. Who didn't love anything- still loved his brother. It was.. like his mind and heart, constantly remained locked on Itachi. Unwittingly, he felt like that was the strongest bond he had. Everything else was impermanent.

Itachi was something Sasuke, had never forgotten. Not because he hated him, although he certainly wished he did, but rather because, he missed him.

"Are you awake?"

Opening one eye, he looked up at the owner of the voice through confused eyes. It was still dark. Sasuke had trouble seeing. He was, both afraid, and traumatized. Glancing, hurriedly, at the person before him, he didn't take much time to realise it was a complete stranger. The mask, orange with strange swirl symbols on it, reminded Sasuke of something long deceased. Orange was a colour Naruto enjoyed the most. It was one thing that stood out to him. The rest of the man was an entire blur. Sasuke didn't know where he was, or what was going on. All he hoped was that he could wake up, with Itachi there. Some part of him, at least, tiny, missed his older brother. No one could replace Itachi in terms of importance, and it was even more difficult to replace his brother when it came to sentimental value. They always had a bond, special one, that Sasuke couldn't replicate with anyone else. "What do you want? Where am I? I know this is all a dream. I don't care to listen," Sasuke shot back. The glare he wanted to shoot at the man was suddenly overpowered by the expression the man had. It was one that told him to be aware of what would happen, should he continue speaking. It was deathly. And quite unlike usual, Sasuke knew something bad would happen to him, if he didn't tread carefully.

That was when it happened. A strange sort of.. buzzing in his eye. At first, it was as if his eye had begun to gather in flames—it was painful, and he could tell it would harm him beyond his own understanding. The feeling continued to gather, until he felt a liberating moment. The pain escalated, and suddenly released itself in the brief flash of a moment. When the brief shot hit the person over the features, they stepped back and were shocked again. It was something new to Sasuke. Something he didn't fully understand.

"That.. that was.. Itachi's powers.."

At the mention of his brother's name, Sasuke felt his heart clench. For some reason, he wanted to talk to Itachi. He was certain that if his brother was here, he'd be a lot safer. If he had gone to see Itachi this weekend, instead of something ridiculous like seeing his fiancée that he never really wanted. Itachi would have instantly welcomed him, even with the distance the two siblings had now. It was just how his brother was- forgiving, faithful, kind hearted. Sasuke had nothing but positive words for Itachi. On the other hand, though, he knew he had a duty to his family, to marry Sakura, to have the world they had continue on effortlessly. There were two different worlds for him to accept, and both go along with. Sasuke rarely did anything for himself, but this time, he absolutely wanted to make his own feelings more important. Itachi had been his brother during such unusual times. He wished he could go backward and get his brothers scope on the entire marriage situation, without the addition of an argument between the two of them.

(break)

He was surprised when he felt his eyes open. When had he fallen asleep? When had that vision faded. Sasuke had no idea. All he felt was a dry, burning sensation in his stomach. Part of the way through, he'd decided even he was tired of all of this. That for some, god forsaken reason, this was more than just a coincidence. Something he had done, whether it was him now or him in some dream or something, had made these things happen. All of that hate, those coincidences with Itachi, couldn't just be coincidences. He pieced it together, slowly, letting his mind wrap around the warped idea that he had somehow caused something bad to happen to these people. That somehow, he was at fault for something.

He sat up slowly and let his eyes drift over where he was, taking in the sight of the village before him with dull eyes. All that was left, was to keep looking around. If this killed him, at least it meant he could die having stayed away from Sakura. _My only regret_, Sasuke thought, bitterly. _Is not having seen Itachi. _

When he stood, he heard no voices. It was like everything had gone quiet, and calm. He trudged forward, since he didn't know where he was going, and the buildings towered him. Even though this village was dead, it felt like there was life in it, a little. It felt like the spirits of those who died, were urging him to realise how he'd done something to harm them. Maybe he had. Sasuke didn't know. He almost didn't want to know, but at the same time, needed to know. That old woman had opened up a part of him that hadn't existed before then. And now he was afraid to let it go.

The more he walked, the more he noticed now, the ground was covered in decomposed bones. They were mostly gone, but he noticed a few odd things here and there. He was literally, walking on the resting place of what might have been thousands of people. Their deaths were caused by him- and if he was right, by extension, his older brother. Maybe there was more to it. Maybe Sasuke caused more than that. He was afraid of knowing.

He paused when he approached what might be a path leading up towards the headed parts of the mountains, taking in a deep breath.

What was waiting for him?


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHORE NOTE: Next one is the final chapter. This one is rushed. x x; Just before my exam.

Reviewers- thank you! :3 I love getting reviews. It makes me write! So please, review. I'll update EVERLONG after this. And maybe get back into my SasuNaru fics too.

* * *

CHAPTER 3

"Itachi-sama?"

He lifted his tired gaze to the door, where the maid stood with her eyes focused on him. While the house was quiet, almost completely lacking any sound, he tried to keep himself as occupied as possible. His thoughts usually drifted too close to an uncomfortable topic if he tried to speak too much. One of those topics almost always involved a marriage that was soon to happen in his family- one he didn't exactly agree with, and that too, based on a bad pretence. After watching her quietly for a few more moments, he nodded his head in compliance. Whatever she wanted, it wasn't a huge issue for him. He planned to turn in to sleep in a few minutes, in any case. He had enough thoughts on his mind—enough to satisfy any normal person of his age. "I'll be going now. I'll lock the front door and come back at eleven. Will you be okay?" she asked. With her tone of voice, Itachi knew she was concerned for his wellbeing. Itachi had been more secluded since Sasuke's engagement to that Haruno girl.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Leave," he answered. When she bowed, closed the door, and evidently left, Itachi closed the book before him and let his head lower, until he could look down at the table through tired, black eyes. Somehow, whenever he was alone, he felt more tired. And he was always alone. Life was more of a problem than it was a gift, when he knew he'd be alone for the rest of his life, and never fully gain the affection of another person. His family was either too distant, or too unlikely to see him in the prospect he wanted them, or that one part of his family, to see him in. Uchiha Itachi, soon to be wealthiest man alive, would never have a marriage, or a good family. It was the ironic truth about his life.

_Is it because you love her, Sasuke?_

In his mind, a mental image of that gruesome expression Sasuke first gave him when his parents mentioned having the pink haired girl over, flashed through. But unlike his brother, Sasuke then had smiles. He was a better child. Now, Sasuke was a hardened, cold person like their father. Another mental image passed through his mind, but it was an unusually small Sasuke- one who wore clan symbols on his back and carried kunai around. It was a faint image he could recall and keep in tact. Sasuke with the ninja tools, was a Sasuke he had lost in a past life. That Sasuke, had been so far from redemption, that Itachi had died trying to save his morality. That little Sasuke would wrinkle his nose when a girl was mentioned, and say something about how his brother was the only person he wanted to stay with.

_Do you go with Sakura.. because you're angry with me?_

It felt like he had hit dead on. Itachi shifted until he could press his head into his arms and closed the small lamp-light. Bed would have to wait. He was better off sleeping here. Sasuke would consume his thoughts all night.

* * *

"_Sit down, Sasuke. We need to talk."_

_He moved to sit down infront of his father, not beside. That day, he chose to sit beside Itachi, who was as apathetic to whatever was being discussed, as always. His head lowered, and his heart stilled. He didn't feel like he was in an environment he was safe in, right now. Itachi's lack of care, his father's sudden interest in him. It was all a little to befuddling. Sasuke continued to stare at Fugaku, through darkened, narrowed eyes. Some part of him was afraid that what he was about to hear, would be something both he, and he hoped his older brother, would not like. His hands remained in his lap, and he watched as his father managed to grab his glass of red wine, downing it in one shot. All Sasuke wanted was to turn his head away in disgust. This felt like a bad talk between the men in a family. Sasuke was still only a boy, although he felt much older._

_Fugaku placed the glass down before the two of them, and then glanced between the two brothers. "The Haruno family has-" he began. However, Itachi immediately mumbled no. It was easy to notice that Itachi didn't agree to whatever it was. Sasuke felt an urge, a strange urge, to follow his brother's lead. And the way Itachi suddenly looked at him, made obvious that he expected the same. Like he was hoping for something from Sasuke, finally. But the other side of Sasuke, that was bitter, told him not to. "Then, Sasuke, you will be marrying Sakura," Fugaku announced._

_He was the only one who had a shocked expression._

_He would have disagreed by now. Sakura was not his type of female. In fact, he never felt anything for women in general. All she did was worry about her appearance, or her eyes, or her hair. She kept herself entirely attached to this childish notion that appearance was what Sasuke found attractive. She stalked him, she stole his things, and she annoyed him beyond relief. And yet he stayed quiet when Fugaku smirked triumphantly, and when Itachi leaned back in the seat, and closed his eyes, looking as apathetic to the situation as always. In one moment, Sasuke had alienated his brother even more, and had gained his father's attention. But it was the wrong way. It was not what he wanted. Itachi deserved this, it was none of his business anyway. But condemning himself to a life of hell with a girl who barely knew him? He felt.. cheated somehow. Like this was not what he should have been doing to begin with._

_Once Fugaku had left the room to tell Mikoto, Itachi stood up, and walked towards the entrance. He stopped there, his head lowered down, and spoke the first few words that hurt Sasuke. A lot._

* * *

"_You are so weak.. little brother."_

He let his lips quirk into a small smirk, because he remembered those words very well. It was a little like.. nostalgia. He remembered clearly, how he felt like he had won. How he felt he had lost his attachment to his brother that day. Instead, he was more attached to him than before. He always saw Itachi around the house, until his brother shifted away because he wanted to be closer to the main buildings of their corporation. They became more distant, and eventually, Itachi stopped all communication. He became the son that did the work. Sasuke was given part of the family's shares, yes, but he wasn't of legal inheritance age. That meant Itachi handled everything. His reason for never being near the family was that- he was too busy. But Sasuke knew the real reason. The rift between them was so huge, it made Itachi less and less likely to turn to him.

Now it ached him. To remember his childhood, and what had become of them.

The ground and the dirt were oddly dry. The further up he went, the more he could make out of the landscape. The way it seemed like this mountain overlooked the entire village. The further he went, the more he felt like things were watching him. It was frightening. But he continued. There was no way to go back now. He knew if he went back, those visions, those _spirits_ would try to go near him again. He had no choice but to persevere. If they knew what he did to them, he had to find out, so he could try and solve this. He may not be able to stop their pain, but it would be lessened, with them knowing what he had done. How he had done it. If he acknowledged his misgoings, he could make sure they knew he regretted it all. It seemed like the key to it all was up here. The worst thing he had done to these people, was waiting for him. But at the same time, he wanted his brother too. Suddenly, all of these emotions he had kept bottled up, to see his brother, to have a chance to apologise, were burning up and releasing. It felt like he was smoking something that made him feel things in more depth- even though he drank wine on occasion. This felt more like he was finally letting out a really bad, inner thought. He was seeing himself, for who he really is. A murderer- a lost person- an incomplete soul. Sakura couldn't complete him.

His older brother was the only person who made him feel better- whole.

As if the air was filled with the smell of thunder and carbon and dry blood, he could tell that this was where he would never come out alive. His hand shook, he stood still when what appeared to be a large, desolated rock platform was all that was left.

Surrounding the rock platform, were large rocks, that nearly resembled a huge, skellular form. It couldn't be. Especially since there were giant heads, carved in the past, he supposed, fallen down around the large, skellular form. All of his life, was suddenly proven wrong to him. Monsters didn't exist- Itachi had once told him that. But he felt like his brother had mislead him. That skeletal form was a monster, he knew for sure. It seemed like it stared straight at him- he imagined beady eyes, glaring at him for doing something that no normal man should ever consider doing. It felt like this was his fault- a part of his problem because he abused some sort of boundaries. And this feeling that entered his stomach, telling him just how wrong he was, made him feel lightheaded. He had been here, this was his fault. He knew all of that. And yet, when he looked down at the ground, where dried blood stayed. Where he saw flecks and splatters, and many other indications that this place had been wreaked.

He closed his eyes, just as the back of his head ached, and lifted his hand to cradle the back of his cranium. It felt like, his head was slowly, but surely, going to make him throw up. This was too familiar. When he reopened his eyes, struggling to focus ahead of himself, because god forbid his eyes felt weak, he noticed couldn't believe his eyes.

He just couldn't.

"N-.. Naru..to?"

His voice sounded so shaken, even he had no idea how it happened. The figure, dressed in orange and black, stared at him through narrowed blue eyes. He was tall. And his hands were folded over his chest, each pupil focused on him. But unlike the Naruto he knew, this Naruto, was full of confidence. He was not afraid of anything. The way he stood still, staring at him, made Sasuke feel weak. But he didn't back down, he just stood there, and stared at his so called childhood friend, who continued to stare back. Unlike Naruto's normal kind glances, and his rivaled grins.. this Naruto seemed like he had no choice but to seem this serious near Sasuke. His form, his eyes, and the frown, all of it just stated that they had both crossed some line that made it so there was no turning back.

"Sasuke, just.. just.. Why did you have to do this?"

He didn't get it, and yet, some of him did. This village, those memories. All of it pointed out to one, very obvious thing, that Sasuke just didn't understand. He felt like he was really here. He had been here. Why was Naruto asking him to come back? Where had he gone? Why did this feel like they were going to kill one another now, instead of behave like best friends and just get along like they normally did?

He took a step back when it felt like something walked through him. His eyes widened when he saw the back of his own head- the same black hair, spiked at the back. But his apparel was a strange, white outfit he had never worn before. Sasuke hated yukata's. Why was he wearing one? _Better yet_, he thought. _Why am I, not in myself._

Walking to the left, so he could glance at the two of them, he noticed the one huge difference here. Naruto was talking to the other him. He wasn't even aware that Sasuke was watching this. The air was so serious, and he could see, from off the cliff, the village burning. What looked like flames, black ones, danced everywhere, and sounds of people screaming enchanted the air. This was a scene of disaster- a real nightmare. This Sasuke- the person before him, had evidently caused it. He had done this, even if it was, in another form. _Another life._

The other him smirked, shifting his hand to the sword at his waist, and he continued to remain more and more amused by the way Naruto looked, the way Naruto was serious. Sasuke recognized his own look, his own smirk. He knew himself better than anyone else, he liked to think. He wanted to kill Naruto. Before this entire ordeal, he had thought he knew himself. But he didn't. Part of him had been so clouded, that these memories were dying to resurface. He was that person before him. A cold, rutheless killer, who would attack anyone. But why? Why did he do this? It made no sense. Sasuke was not a violent man. "This is—" the other him began, making Sasuke's chest feel heavy. He felt his mouth move, and his mind registered the words. He knew them, as well. The stinging in the back of his mind said he really knew those words. "—my revenge."

Vengeance.

He had killed a village, because he wanted revenge.

He dropped down to his knees. And stared at himself, and at Naruto, completely struck by just how self destructive his own thoughts were. Revenge drove Sasuke into deciding to marrying Sakura. Revenge drove him to ignore his older brother, who ignored him in turn. Revenge drove him to do so many things, but the end result was the same. An unhappy life, with absolutely nothing to make him feel better. He had been a monster, trying to harm his brother, if only because he had no other way to accept, to entirely gain, his love and attention. It was sad. Sasuke felt disgusted with himself for this.

"Don't do it!" He shouted out, finally, to himself. He didn't know why, because he knew they couldn't hear him. When he lunged forward, sword at hand, Sasuke stood up, and wanted to go running, but his knees just kept him in place. He stood still, knees quivering, and watched as Naruto drew a kunai and attempted to stop the attacks. Wild movements, flames- thunder- wind. All of it clashed together, as he watched himself fight Naruto. The worse the battles got, the more Sasuke found that Naruto was injuried, relying on what appeared to be a strange, red power that erupted from him.

He himself, seemed to rely on his red eyes. Eyes like Itachi's.

"We didn't do anything to you!"

"Your village.. it killed my family!"

"Itachi didn't mean to do it!"

Sasuke could only listen- but he swore he heard his brother's name, right when Naruto seemed to freeze, and hold his hand in a fist. He too, did the same- the other him, that is. And they both stared one another down, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. With a dip down in his voice, and anger, laced in his tone, the other him spoke- and Sasuke, mouthed it too, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Your village, forced my brother to be a traitor. I am taking revenge, for his **death**!"

What happened afterwards, was ignored, because Sasuke felt that strong sting in his head. He lifted his hands and grabbed hold of his hair, ripping out a scream that would have never left his mouth on ordinary occasions. Memories- training in a field, attacking, grabbing bells from a man, punching Sakura—a waterfall valley, and a broken promise. The snake man, and the many other occasions that finally lead up to when he had taken his brother- _Itachi_'s—own eyes and placed them with his. He had done such unforgivable things, all because he had let himself be fooled into thinking his brother was his enemy. Itachi had done what he thought was best for him- all for this miserable ending to their lives. This was what he had done wrong. He already knew it now, he knew what the inevitable product of his actions was.

Just as Naruto transformed—grew in strength, power, will, into a large, orange fox, he saw himself gather, his last bit of shred. _No.. no. This can't happen. He can't kill Naruto!_

Sasuke stood, and raced forward, as fast as his feet could carry him. Just as he saw himself rush at Naruto, with a sword- and an attack Sasuke felt Naruto could be killed with, he ran in between, and stretched his arms out, as far as he could. "Itachi would have wanted you to live!" he shouted.

His other self didn't stop. He did the opposite, and struck through Sasuke, making it feel as if his insides were being ripped apart by pieces. Like strings, being plucked off of a violin. Sasuke cried out, and behind him, the large fox howled as it's very skin was slowly being peeled away. He turned around, to stare in horror as the fox was slowly desintigrating, into nothing. And he knew it was Naruto, suffering, because he had wanted to protect. All the while, he stared at himself, who stared at Naruto, with equally no expression. Even as they both turned to nothing. Stumbling backwards, until he dropped down onto his back and stared at himself, who by now, had the red blood of an innocent _boy_ on his face, and no expression of guilt, he understood now.

He was meant to cherish Itachi. Not repeat his past mistakes of living a lie and realising it too late. He couldn't do what others said to him. He had to do what he wanted.

Or something like this, could repeat again. On his second chance to live a happy life.

The other him, only stared silently, before gripping his katana by the hilt, and shifting his glance towards where Sasuke was. It was an empty glance. "There is nothing left for me," he said- with a shaking voice. "I've, accomplished, my revenge." The katana was shifted, until he could point at himself, and he closed his eyes.

That was all Sasuke could take seeing.

He closed his own eyes, and felt like he had stabbed himself. And that was, evidently the case.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Hey—you. Wake up."

He opened one eye, slowly, to stare up at strange, red eyes staring down at him.

The girl had a strange expression. She was dressed in a way that revealed she was from around that village- the way her clothing hugged her body, but looked old and used. She had her hair tied up in a bun- each dark brown lock managing to stay tightened and away from her body. While her hand was on her hip, and she leaned forward to continue looking at him, Sasuke felt like he knew her. From the way she had a cigarette in one hand, and the way her eyes were kind of, clairvoyant, he knew immediately she could be a descendant of Kurenai Yuuhi. But, who did Kurenai-sensei ever end up having a child with? It didn't seem to strike him as anything he understood. The girl noticed he was conscience, and took a step back, if only to look over his appearance once. "You're the boy that was left here," she announced, after managing to stare at him in silence for a few minutes. "Andou-hime said that you would be here. She thought that you were a trespasser, and they tend to abandon outsiders here when they think it's convenient to them." The way this girl spoke, made it clear that she had been to the 'outside world', where Sasuke knew he belonged now. A part of him, a part he had locked up, somehow stayed here. Revisiting his homeland, where he had caused so much misery, for thousands of people who had once trusted and admired him, had opened his eyes to the monster he had become.

He looked around, and found no sight of the other him- or of Naruto. All he could see was the desolated rock formation that looked like a skeletal figure, and the heads. The village down below looked as broken as it did before. He was still in the future, where he had been given a chance to redeem himself from his past. If he hadn't come back here, he would have repeated his past mistakes and listened to someone who knew absolutely nothing about what he wanted. He would have let Itachi sacrifice himself, yet again, for a cause that meant absolutely nothing to either of them. Sasuke was relieved that old women had managed to force him to go here. He looked down at the ground, and shifted his hand until he could press his palm against his forehead. It was too much to take in at once, but he had all of these feelings from before. His head told him he was Uchiha Sasuke, the son of Corporate business tycoon Uchiha Fugaku—but his heart knew he was Uchiha Sasuke, a traitor to his village. A killer of his best friend. He recognised so much now, from his past, and he immediately knew the first thing he had to do the moment he got home. He would need to tell his father that his marriage with Sakura, was off. They were not meant to be. She had evidently only seen him as a crush, and even if it was more than that, Sasuke felt nothing. He had to recover his broken familial bonds. Itachi meant more to him than a pink haired fangirl ever could.

"What did you see here?"

Looking back up at Kurenai's descendant, he only stared at her quietly, waiting for her to elaborate. She moved her hand, to point at the heads, a small smile slowly stretching over her features. "These, are my ancestors. You're sitting on holy land." For Sasuke, this was a graveyard. These people, had suffered, because of him. Although it was his past life, where he had commited those actions, he still felt partly at fault. "There's a story tied to why this village can't have life growing in it. A boy who lost his entire family, ran away from this village, to try and rescue himself, and to get revenge for his family's death." He knew the story, so he slowly shifted his head to look out at his old home. Now he could remember, the way Konohagakure was bustling with life. People were everywhere, in the past. Smiles, laughter. The noodle stall Naruto loved was where Team Seven often ended up, eating ramen, although it usually ended up on either Sasuke's or Kakashi's tab. They often went to the training fields, where they ended up training for hours. He knew the Uchiha compound was nearby, too. But he didn't want to go there, because it was where his brother had finally died. He knew that Otogakure had been burned down, Sunagakure following not long after. Many of the villages stood no chance against Sasuke, and Tobi. They had slaughtered thousands, and finally, when Sasuke had found Naruto, he had completed the one most unforgivable task of his entire life. Naruto stood no chance when he was exhausted from defeating an edo tensei Madara. In the end, Naruto had lost, and had relied too much on the Kyuubi. When Sasuke cruelly burned Kyuubi with the amaterasu, he had managed to defeat Konoha's one hope for a future. The souls of this village, wanted him to see that.

"And when he finally had enough power, the boy came back, and got his revenge. No one survived, except a few people, who hid and pretended to be dead. No one knows what happened to that boy, but the villagers continue to stay here, waiting for the day that he'll come back to reclaim his revenge, on those of us that survived," the black haired girl stopped, finally, and shifted her head to look down at the village. Sasuke, too, felt a little, uneased. Every time he looked out at Konoha, he saw the dusted remains of a place that once flourished with life. It was a huge village. Before, it was prosperous. Now, it was a ghost of its past. He didn't blame the villagers that had survived for hating him, and not wanting him to go anywhere near them. He had the shadow of a monster, after all. "He died," he answered, finally.

She blinked once. "What do you mean?"

"He died. The boy killed himself."

Sasuke finally moved to stand, using one hand to eventually prop himself up. Dusting off his clothes, he looked in the general direction she was looking in. "That's.. a morbid way to put it," she said, with a frown. Sasuke knew it was the ironic truth. He had seen himself commit suicide, because even he knew that he had no reason to exist, after killing everyone who had any connection to him. If the barrier this land had put to the outside world, hadn't been removed, Sasuke never would have rediscovered his past. He felt, strangely, in debt now. To the people here, who had died, and had attempted to make him see the truth until the very last minute of their lives- even beyond that. "I think the boy just needed the right hand to guide him. I wish he hadn't done this though. I mean, just look at that village. So many people, so many things- and now all we have left is a tiny village," Kurenai's ancestor joked around. She moved her hand to wipe a band away from her forehead, and Sasuke, remained silent. "There was a book, that old woman kept in her residency. What was it?" he finally asked.

"That's Haruno-hime's ancestor's notations. Up until his death, Andou-hime's ancestor kept notations about what happened. Andou-hime's ancestor survived maybe a year after their homes were burned down, and then he passed away. Andou-hime, you see, has the ability, to feel the movement of sand. She's very deep, knowledgeable. But she's getting old," was the answer he received, and he nodded once, in understanding. "Can you.. take me to a nearby road leading to the bridge? I need to go, home."

When the girl nodded, he pointed to a path leading down the heads of the village, towards the actual village. "I think there's a funny man, with his hair tied up, waiting for you in the village. He said his name is Iruka, and he's looking for a Sasuke."

(break)

Iruka waved to Sasuke when he saw him approach closer.

The two of them stopped a few feet away, and Iruka held up a set of keys with a grin. "I have it," he responded. Sasuke nodded once, and then glanced back to see many of the villagers had managed to come out. Some even looked in his direction—but the fear was there. Sasuke stayed quiet, because it was a justified fear. He felt he had deserved it. The old woman finally stepped towards them, with a small smile on her face. "I take it you learned," she said, in a hushed voice. Sasuke only stayed quiet, but from the way he looked back at her, it was evident, she knew why she had sent him there. That woman, he realised now, was Gaara's descendant. Somehow, even when he had tried killing everyone, some people survived. He had let life flourish, even in small numbers. Konohagakure itself had no future, but these people did, if given the chance. He was in debt to them for both teaching him the one lesson of a lifetime that he needed, and for forgiving him, for his past. "Good. Never, let that demon possess you again," the woman said, and finally, she turned back away. However, when she did, Sasuke bowed his head down. "Sabaku-sama. If.. I can repay you in any way," he began, wanting to do something that could make it seem better. To give this tiny village hope.

However, the old woman only continued walking. And Sasuke swore he saw her grinning. "No. Leave quickly. We have no more time, for the past."

Sasuke nodded, and turned away, forcing Iruka to follow with a confused stare. While they both walked quietly towards Iruka's car, he could tell Iruka wanted to know everything. But he couldn't just say it. This man had been someone to suffer in the past. But unlike him, where everything settled in when he saw his mistakes, Iruka would only suffer more. No one would believe him if he told them he had killed villages of ninjas in his past life. All this did was make him see the one thing he really should have seen from the start- Sakura was not meant for him. "Iruka. We're changing plans," he finally said. The driver perked up, as if he expected this anytime soon. "We're going to see Itachi, not Sakura. You can tell my parents I'm calling off this wedding when you get home, too. She's not in love with me."

More release. When Iruka walked ahead of him, to begin starting the car that magically, seemed to work then, Sasuke lowered his head and smiled to himself. _I won't let you sacrifice yourself again, aniki-san. Just wait, for me._

(break)

Itachi opened one eye when he heard sounds. People were talking outside. It was well near 9 AM, and Itachi was a morning person. But sleeping on the table had been oddly comfortable, and he hadn't thought to wake up anytime soon. Closing his eyes again, he tried to drown out the sounds at the door, but to no avail. His maid must have come early, and she was already chattering with someone or another. It was irritating. Itachi didn't like having people near him. With a tired sigh, he lifted himself from the table and stood up, looking around his room with a dry frown. Who was here? He wasn't expecting any guests, unless he missed a business cohorts meeting. But why at his home?

He rubbed his eyes with his arm, and slowly made his way over to the door. Opening it with one hand, he glanced out to see the maid talking to a mob of black hair. Stylized black hair. The odd way it had been done, was familiar. Only one person he knew did that kind of hair style. That person was to be married to a girl he couldn't stand, in a few days. That person was always on Itachi's mind, and without fail, never left his thoughts. "Is he here?" he heard. His maid continued to talk, evidently trying to grab his attention, but the person ignored it, and glanced over her shoulder, to notice Itachi staring at him from the distance. It felt like ages since Itachi had laid eyes on his baby brother. Those deep black eyes, that same arrogant expression. He seemed like the same Sasuke from before. But for some reason, Itachi was shocked that Sasuke was here. Never in a million years did he expect his brother to show up at his home- covered in dirt and blood stains, and looking like he'd been through an ordeal that no one he would expect could put him through. Walking towards the door, but keeping a few feet away, he looked Sasuke over.

It looked like he'd been beaten up. But from the expression he had, he knew his brother had escaped alive or beaten right back. Sasuke was not a pushover in the slightest. Itachi shook his head, and indicated to his bedroom, where his first aid kit was stored for emergency situations. Walking back towards it, he let Sasuke follow him. Shutting the door once the two of them were inside, he looked back at his brother, who stared right back at him.

This had been waited on, for too long. It felt like their confrontation was too soon, but at once. Itachi felt it had to be done.

(break)

"I have to—"

"I have to—"

"Let me talk," Sasuke demanded. He was always going to have to go first. His brother, whether he liked it or not, was quieter. Itachi never seemed to be the verbal type, unless absolutely necessary. "I know, we haven't been, the best of siblings recently.. We don't speak anymore, and my arriving here looking like this, must shock you.. but please, listen to me. You can judge me afterwards. I don't care."

He was almost begging his brother to listen to him now. He felt like he had changed, matured so much- he just needed Itachi to acknowledge it. He wanted a chance to have a brother back. Maybe to spend the rest of his life thanking whatever had brought him back, for giving him one more chance to be happy with an older sibling like Itachi. "I broke off my marriage, to her. I don't even like her, and listening to someone else will never make me happy. All it does is ruin things, and make me even more unlikely to open up to someone else," he began, making Itachi's eyes widen, simply because he was surprised at how Sasuke had randomly broken a marriage he had been so intent on continuing with. "I was wrong for trying to marry her to spite you. But you distanced yourself from me, and I wanted your attention. I needed you to be there. I thought my anger would make you come back, but it didn't. It just made me more and more distant. I hurt everyone close to me, just so I could gain one thing- revenge, on you."

Was he walking about this life, or the past one? He couldn't tell. It all seemed so similar. He was so prone to the same mistakes, wanting revenge on his older sibling who only wanted to protect him. If something happened and he lost Itachi, he would have tried to get back at everyone. Hurting people was not what he wanted, now. Sasuke just wanted to try and have peace. "I don't want revenge. I just want to try and salvage what's left, between us. I don't care if it will get me disowned. Please don't ignore me anymore. You're my.. aniki." With that, he moved himself a step back, and lowered his gaze to the ground, waiting for his brother's final verdict. Itachi knew Sasuke wasn't a frail little boy, and yet. Sasuke felt frail. For the first time, ever, he had opened up to his brother. He had said things, he knew his past self might have wanted to say to this exact same person. He felt like he had completed something, that made him feel, better. Especially since, he knew that if Itachi didn't forgive him now, he would have to accept it. He had done what he could. Life goes on. He just wanted Itachi to know that this all, affected him, too.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, so he looked up, at Itachi, who looked down at him. The smile on his brother's face, was one he had not seen since they were mere children. But it was a warm, nice smile. He liked it. Itachi rarely smiled, but when he did, Sasuke knew the room brightened up. His brother was more reserved, but they were happy together. "If I told you.. I've been having these nightmares, since I was younger, would you believe me, Otouto?" he asked.

Sasuke didn't understand, but he nodded his head once in compliance anyway. "Of a world where I planned out my own death, so I could keep you safe." This was too familiar. Had Itachi, too, seen the same things Sasuke had? Sasuke knew Itachi had never been to Konohagakure, at least, not in its present state. So how on earth did his brother know about that. How on earth did his brother think of his past? Itachi was the more intellectual one, of the two of them, so perhaps it was no surprise. And yet, Sasuke wanted to believe his brother had no idea.

"A world where you gave up on your happiness for mine- but it was pointless.. right?" he added in, with hesitance. Itachi, too, nodded his head once to show he was right. Sasuke hated that this was happening now. It felt like he had become so old- so.. much more capable of understanding himself and others. "I could never hate you, Sasuke. But I didn't want you to marry that girl, without knowing you were marrying someone you may not love," Itachi continued, shifting his hand to Sasuke's cheek. They were finally where Sasuke felt better. Itachi didn't hate him. Every single piece was being fitted back together. "Itachi, can I stay here? I'll study here. I just want to, have a part of you back, too," Sasuke asked.

When the two of them smiled at each other, and moved away so he could get to his papers, Sasuke stood still, and looked around the room. Although he hadn't told Itachi, about the visit to Konohagakure, and the troubled people there. He knew his brother had understood something about what he had meant. Itachi knew Sasuke was finally going to stray away from revenge. His life was going to change from then on.

Sasuke had redeemed himself.


End file.
